Part 3 (1/2)
Orban mind; she was always busy and content by day It was only of the night-tie-voiced creatures were never silent an hour, weird cries from the scrub pierced the air, and there arose from the plantation beloild sounds, so of to of voices as the natives conducted their heathen worshi+p, or indulged in noisy quarrels likely to end in bloodshed between antagonistic tribes
But though for sohbours, the house on the hill had nothing to fear from them
Their worst feature was their utter uselessness in any real danger, coht serve him solely for their own benefit, and were for the ues, the coolies had no desire to har stealthily through the woods, homeless and lawless, is a race that hates the white ines of Australia
Civilization has driven them farther and farther north, for the Australian black-fellows cannot be tamed and trained--their nature is too wild and fierce to be kept within bounds except by fear and crushi+ng They are treacherous and savage, and h spoken of as black, they are really chocolate-brown, but so covered with hair as to be very dusky
Being very cunning in their movements, it is always difficult to knohere they are, and there are often such long lapses between the tiet their existence as a matter of any importance But Mr Orban knew that his as haunted by a very constant horror of theht the blacks should make a raid upon their plantation, as they had been known to do upon other white s
What neither Mr nor Mrs Orban realized was how much Eustace and Nesta knew of certain terrible events happening from time to time in just such isolated ho white maidservants the children heard tales they listened to with a kind of awful enjoyht with a shudder The creaking of the wooden house in which they lived as the boards contracted after the tropical heat of day, and the weird sounds rising from the plantation below, held a hundred terrors to be asha
Eustace and Nesta never spoke of these night panics to any one, least of all to each other--they seeht proved there had been absolutely nothing to be cowardly about
By some unspoken rule Peter was never allowed to hear these stories He was always considered so very er than Eustace and Nesta that even the servants had the sense not to frighten hiht of their father's departure, and he knew nothing of the queer little tiff that had taken place between Eustace and Nesta
It is very odd how people can quarrel over a reed; but they frequently do, especially when it has anything to do with fear
Nesta went to bed that night still in the sulks, with an air of ”You'll be sorry some day” about her every attitude Eustace seemed inseparable from his book, and disinclined to talk He went heavily to bed, h hisreat interest in thee look about her eyes He suspected her gaiety to be only put on for their amuseood night's rest did wonders for both children, and they caic when she heard her father and ht froirls' new dresses New clothes were a rare event for the Orban children, and always caused a good deal of excite looked so calm, peaceful, and ordinary about the place that he was inclined to be more than half ashaued, ”nothing ever has happened to us--why should it now? The black-fellows have never come this way Why should they, just because father is away? How could they get to know of his going?
Besides, the plantation isn't so awfully far off”
He had stood on the veranda and stared down at the sugarat the foot of the hill, where Robertson and Farley lived; at Mr
Ashton's house, and all the familiar, odd-shaped huts in which the coolies lived It was all just as he had seen it every day of his life, and nothing had ever happened--why, indeed, should it now?
Mrs Orban's interest in the new dresses was certainly not feigned
”Now, Jack,” she was saying as Eustace entered the rooo and ask for dusters It is that pretty pink and blue check zephyr I want--pink for Becky, and blue for Nesta”
”Well, dear, you must confess it is just like duster stuff--now, isn't it?” deh
”O daddy, not a bit!” Nesta exclaiht!”
”So wo shi+rts made of them myself”
”I should object very h; ”you would look like a coolie But let us talk sense again”
Talking senseout of a list of really rather dull things wanted in the house
Daily life begins early on a sugar plantation It was now only half-past six, and the house had been astir since half-past four; the children playing, Mrs Orban working about the house, and Mr
Orban away down on the plantation The co was the best time for any sort of activity Later, as the fierce Deceher, even the children became listless and disinclined to race about
After breakfast, when Mr Orban went back to work, Mrs Orban gave the children lessons--the only teaching they had ever had At eleven Mr Orban returned for early dinner
To our English ideas the routine seee; but the Orban children were used to it, and had no realization of how different was life in their parents' old home It did not seeo to bed at half-past six or seven They were generally very ready for sleep by then, after their long, exhausting day